Reddit Moves to Crack Down on Abusive Comments

Reddit, the popular link-posting and discussion website periodically plagued by personal attacks and leaked explicit photos, announced a new way to report harassment Thursday, providing an email address and direction for users who are seeking relief from abusive posts.

Ellen Pao, the company’s chief executive who has sought to make Reddit both safer for users and more welcoming to advertisers, helped to announce the changes in a co-authored blog post. “We’ve seen many conversations devolve into attacks against individuals,” the post said. “If you are being harassed, report the private message, post or comment and user by emailing contact@reddit.com.” A spokeswoman said Reddit employees will field, evaluate and respond to complaints, which could lead to warnings or the banning of abusive users. The company cited a March user survey as encouraging the new system.